Many people mostly think of baby showers as a way to celebrate a baby's
entrance into the world. Perhaps that's why so many feel uncomfortable
about giving baby showers for preemies. Especially if the baby is born
extremely premature or is quite sick, it may feel strange to throw a
party.

But parents of premature infants long for the
normalcy of a baby shower. I'll never forget when my sister and mother
threw a baby shower for Anastasia. It gave me a day of fun among many
days of worry and stress. After the party, I shed tears of joy.

Too, there are many ways to make a baby shower for a
preemie the sort of event that provides a great deal of help to busy,
stressed parents. Here are a few ideas:

First, carefully consider when to throw the shower;
ask the mother of the preemie what day and time is best time is for her.
Moms of premature babies often spend most of their time in the
hospital's NICU, and may feel guilty if they break away to go to a
party. If that's the case, choose a time when the mother is usually at
home anyway.

Ask the mother what location is easiest for her. If
it's her house, be sure to have someone clean for her before the party,
otherwise you'll just be adding to the mother's level of stress. Be sure
to have a clean up crew after the party, too.

Some people like to have the baby shower after the
preemie comes home from the hospital, but have the mother check with her
baby's doctors first. Often doctors won't want preemies exposed to
crowds for several months after her or she comes home, since premature
babies are more apt to catch bugs and develop health complications.

It's a good idea to note on the shower invitation
that the baby's already born, since this may influence what friends and
family bring to the party. You might ask the mother what sort of items
she needs, since she might not have time to register at a store.

Few, if any, gifts should be preemie sized. The NICU
supplies all the baby's diapers until he or she comes home, and when the
infant does come home, he'll likely not need preemie diapers any more.
As for preemie-sized clothes, very few, if any will be need. (To
read more about how to select preemie clothes, click here.)

Part of the baby shower might also include helping
the parents prepare their home for the baby. When babies come
unexpectedly early, parents often haven't had time to paint the nursery
or put together baby gear like cribs and swings.

It can be fun to decorate the shower location with
photographs of the baby and have preemie diapers, hats, blood pressure
cuffs and other mementos handy for guests to look at. One nice idea for
party favors is to create magnets with a photo of the baby. You could
also include the baby's birth weight and date, a Bible verse, or a
saying to remind friends and family to pray for the baby.

But the most important thing when throwing a preemie
baby shower is to help the mom relax for an hour or so, taking some time
to simply enjoy the fact that she is now a mommy.